When the darkness falls
by TheDamselInShiningArmour
Summary: He was like the day - warm and welcoming. She was like the night. Cold. Dark. Mysterious. They met… Only to separate again. AU. A duo and abhirika story with a hint of Dareya.
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

Grinning widely, a young man pushed through the "DO NOT DISTURB" sign.

"Would you like me to write the sign in some other language?" Daya, not bothering to look up from his file.

"Didn't know it applied to me."

"It's especially for you."

"Ouch!"

"What do you want fucker?"

"Some of your time."

"No seriously, what language can you read and understand?"

"If you really want to keep me out, you better get some hookers to stand at your door."

"Oh please!" this time he actually looked up at Abhijeet, "You don't even look at girls."

Abhijeet dismissed the former statement with a chuckle and then spoke after a brief pause.

"Let's hit the bar."

"I have work to do."

"Come on... loosen up a bit."

"Are you asking me as a friend?"

"Of course."

"Then as a friend," Daya spoke with a smile that almost looked genuine, "I'm telling you to get lost."

"Well, I now ask as your boss."

"Then as a good employee, let me tell you that the I am the company's accountant and it's very important that I do my job."

"The profits are soaring, the employees are happy, business is booming - aur kya chahiye tujhe?"

"If it has to keep going this way, I gotta do my thing."

"You're such a waste of my awesome-ness as a boss."

"Kisi aur ko le jaa."

"How long before you're done?"

"How long before you're out of business?"

Abhijeet just sighed and texted "Plan B" to his assistant. Almost immediately, the room went pitch dark. Daya was quick to turn his phone's flashlight on.

"Aren't you going to ask something like - How long before the electricity is back?"

"Unfortunately," Daya said, "I know the answer to that one."

"Then how long before you let the whole office stay in the dark?"

"You're impossible."

"Get changed. I'll be outside, in the car."

"As long as you're not in the driver's seat."

"Just because I ride her harder than you ever can," Abhijeet spoke on his way out.

As walked towards the car, he saw Sachin and Rajat already waiting.

"Boys, good to see you. Just remember, nobody mentions Shreya."

"You got it boss," Sachin said.

 **Four bottles and eight shots later:**

As they sat talking on a square table, Abhijeet could see a girl past Rajat's shoulder. She had been looking at him, or at least his table, quite unapologetically, for a while now. Once he had seen her, he just couldn't unsee her. There was something about her which was extremely formidable. Perhaps it was her wild curly hair or may it was the way she sat, all alone like she owned the place.

"Mein abhi aaya" Abhijeet said, getting up.

As he made his way towards the washroom, someone brushed against his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," a feminine voice claimed.

It was the same girl who had been looking at him.

"You… uh…you were…"

"I was just on my way outside."

Her eyes held his gaze for just over a few seconds, almost as though she was inviting him to go outside with her. And somehow, he felt compelled to oblige.

He followed her towards the parking lot, his eyes constantly looking for cues to talk. A few steps into the parking space, she turned around so abruptly that he had to rely on his reflexes to stop in order to stop a collision.

"Are you going to stalk me home?" She spoke with a teasing complacence lurking in her voice.

And all at once, Abhijeet felt unbelievably stupid. What the hell was he thinking, following a stranger like that?

"I'm sorry… I...I should just go back inside."

"Well that would be a shame," she said, walking till she reached a bench was about ten feet away from where Abhijeet stood.

"This bench has enough room for both of us," she added, sitting down.

Although bemused and slightly hesitant, he sat next to her.

"So is this meeting a coincidence or -"

"I don't believe in coincidences."

"Destiny?"

She looked at him and smiled, as though he had asked her if she believed in fairies.

"Well," he quickly altered his question, "What do you think it is, what do you believe in?"

"I believe that each of us get what we deserve."

"Do we always?"

"When you don't, you grab what you deserve."

"So what you are saying is that we deserve to be here, with each other. How is that any different from destiny?"

"Well…"

"Let me put it simply. Out of all the men in the bar, you picked me. Why is that ?"

"You reserved the table for the wrong price."

"The _bar_ table? You're here just because I overpaid a table?"

"I know a few thousands here and there don't affect you, Abhijeet Srivastava."

"Don't panic," she added after observing his changing expressions, "I'm sure plenty of people know the owner and CEO of 'Woods and Metals' by name."

"Fair enough. But that doesn't answer my question. Why are you here?"

"I have a feeling that you'll know soon."

"Hmm."

"You know, the opposite of talking isn't listening. It is waiting."

"Fran Lebowitz!" Abhijeet looked at her, amazed, "So you read for pleasure too?"

"I read for staying relevant."

"So you don't find it fun?"

"Anything can be made fun."

"But isn't there something that you find fun naturally?"

"Winning."

Abhijeet chuckled.

"What do you do when you're not busy winning is what I meant," he added.

"I'm always busy winning. It's an addiction."

"A good one, unlike most addictions."

"Good and bad is merely perspective and circumstantial."

"I see."

"You clearly don't agree."

"You're right. Nonetheless, I am curious - Am I good or bad, from your perspective?"

"You're interessant," she smirked.

"Merci et toi aussi," he said, smirking back.

"And smart also, I figure."

"What about you - are you good or bad?"

"I'll let you figure that one on your own," she winked.

"So do you visit this club often?"

The girl shifted closer to him and kept her hand on his thigh, making him hold his breath. Her fingers moved inside his pocket.

"Wh-what are you?"

She took his vibrating phone from his pocket and held it in front of his face.

"Lagta hai aapke friends aapko yaad kar rahein hain."

He gave her an embarrassed smile. Why didn't he realize that his phone had been vibrating?

"Excuse me," he said, as he picked up the phone.

"Haan Rajat… mein bahar aaya tha… nahi wo aise hi. Acha, ek kaam karo, all of you take the morning off … Mein ab ghar jaunga, early morning meeting tomorrow. Yeah. Okay. Daya ko drop kar de na dhyaan se. Sachin ke saath jayega wo? Alright actually that's better. Hmm. Goodnight."

When he looked back at her, he found her standing, prepared to leave.

"Arrey aap jaa rahi hain?" he asked, as he kept his phone back.

Before she could answer, he found a note in his pocket. Of course, she had put it in there.

It contained all his competitors' quotes for a huge order for wooden tables. The lowest contender, Verma's, was lower than him by about a few thousands.

 _Reserved the table for the wrong price._

 _A few thousands here and there don't affect you._

Now he had perfectly understood what she meant.

"Who are you?"

"I am the girl who just landed you a 20 million order. You're welcome."

"What is your name and why would you help us?"

"Consider it me getting even."

"With… my company?"

"Oh we'll be even too, after you resend your quote with the _right_ price."

Too. That meant she was getting even with Verma's or someone working there.

"This… this isn't...this is _bad_."

"From your perspective, perhaps. But good and bad is also circumstantial. Right now that 20 million looks really good for your company."

"My company is...doing just fine."

"You can lie to your accountant and pay people from your own pocket. But the question is - How long can you sustain that?"

Before he could formulate a reply, he saw her walking. As her silhouette disappeared into the darkness, she waved at him.

Abhijeet looked down, his integrity gnawing his resolve to use the new information that he had. But she was right too. He really needed that money.

 **A new story.**

 **I hope you enjoy. Do review.**


	2. Chapter 2

Abhijeet sighed audibly, so now all eyes in the room were on him. They had been it at it for hours.

No trace of her. Even his chief technical aid, Purvi, couldn't find anything.

The girl from the bar was a ghost.

"Never seen him so flustered about a girl," Daya's eyes gleamed with mischief.

His comment sent peals of laughter across the frantic room. Abhijeet smiled along.

The less they knew, the better.

"Alright everybody get back to work," Abhijeet said, walking out of the conference room in an unusual pace.

Daya was quick to follow him.

"So what's the real deal, huh?" Daya asked.

"The deal is I'm starving!"

"Is that what she said last night?" Daya punched him lightly in the gut.

Abhijeet smiled at his pal.

20 million would mean a lot.

But Daya had a lot on his mind lately and he didn't want to add to his troubles by letting him know about the company's finances.

…

…

…

His eyes fixed on the setting sun, Abhijeet drew circles in the sand with his index finger. He then took a deep breath, inhaling the smell of the ocean as waves crashed on the shore.

20 million could have been everything that he lost.

When exactly had business gone wrong?

He couldn't tell. One day he was at the peak of success and the next, he was paying people out of his own pocket.

"The setting sun is rising somewhere else."

Abhijeet suddenly stopped drawing the circles. That voice hadn't left his head ever since that night in the bar.

"Is it the beach you have come to visit or is it me?" he said, his tone on the verge of resentment.

He then watched her from the corner of his eyes as she sat down next to him.

She looked at him intently, a strange power in her eyes that made him want to speak his mind. He remembered obliging to them once and yet, he felt an even more ineluctable compulsion this time.

As soon as he formed the words in his mind, her lips curved into a barely there smile, like she knew perfectly the effect she had on people.

"I know I did the right thing by not changing my quote for the 20 million."

"What you see depends on where you are looking from."

"I am not the enemy here, Abhijeet Srivastava."

He turned his face away from her.

She was right. He would have lost the client with or without her. It would have just been a lot less easier without her.

"But then again, who is the enemy?"

He didn't expect her to answer him. It was less of a question and more of a statement.

"Verma's had the list of contender's before they put in their quote," she said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"How do you know?"

"It doesn't matter how. It matters _what_ I know."

"Why should I trust you?"

She wore a lopsided smile before answering.

"You shouldn't."

"I… I am not sure I follow," he said.

"Verma's has landed the last three major orders in the same way causing you a total loss of 70 million."

Abhijeet thought for a second. She was undeniably right. But that was not the point.

Information could be a dangerous asset.

And he needed to know was how she was getting all this information.

"Who are you?" he asked, trying to sound unafraid.

"I already told you I am not the enemy. Isn't that good enough?"

He suppressed a scoff.

Of course it wasn't enough. He needed a name. Just a name. Then he could find out all about her.

"Alright, then tell me, what should I call you?"

"You can call me anything," she winked.

"Don't you have a name?"

"I have something better than a name," she stood up as she spoke, "I have a way to get you back on your feet in the blink of an eye."

"How?"

"You should figure that one out soon."

"And how am I supposed to get to you if I don't even know your name?"

"As soon as you know how I can be useful, I'll find you."

"But how are you-"

He stopped mid-sentence as she kissed her own index finger and then placed it on his lips. He froze. What did she think she was doing?

"Let me blow your mind," she spoke with such conviction that he wanted to believe her.

 **A/N : Hope it wasn't too bad**

 **Please do review.**


	3. Chapter 3

Tarika leaned back on her chair, staring at the calendar.

It had been a week since she last spoke to him.

Abhijeet.

She chuckled.

 _Abhijeet Srivastava._

He was different from the others. Warm. Naive.

 _Fragile._

That's why she had been so gentle with him.

After having puffed at her cigarette for one last time, she dropped it to the floor. Then crushing it with her heel, she stood up. One week of prodding was enough.

Time for some pruning.

"You've been very helpful Poonam," she said, as she walked towards her study, "But you have to resign."

…

…

…

Abhijeet paced back and forth in his room.

"Poonam, are you sure I can't offer you a holiday instead?"

"I'm sorry sir. I have to resign."

She was the accountant he hired to make things seem normal to everyone at the office. Abhijeet would give her the actual data of his company, she would re-work her way from the desired profits and then they would feed false data to Daya.

He cracked his knuckles. Have to make her stay. But how?

"Is it the paycheck?"

"It's not that sir."

"I don't understand then-"

"I already told you. Daya sir is onto me."

"How the hell can he be onto you? You don't come to the office. No one knows I hired you. It's the first bloody time I'm listening to your voice."

"I can understand you're upset -"

"Can you? CAN YOU?"

"He's checking all previous accounts, all the authorized logins to the company data. It's only a matter of time before he finds me."

"Poonam I'm willing to do whatever it takes to-"

"Sir, the company has already lost too much money in too little time. It is impossible to create false records and false profits, no matter how much of your own savings you put in."

"And you were supposed to be the best."

"Sir please consider this my official resignation request."

No, no, no.

Have to stop her. Records.

Employee- records.

Abhijeet dashed across the room, placed his palm against the scanner and skimmed through the files like a madman.

It was not just about Daya anymore. His company, his career, his credibility. His entire life's work was at stake.

He had to find her.

Mandip.

Manoj.

 _Manoop._

He pulled the file labeled "Manoop" and quickly jotted down the address.

…

…

…

Leaning on the bonnet of his car, Abhijeet re-read the address again. _He_ was at the right place. But of course it was the wrong address.

He called back on her cell for the fourth time.

No answer.

Damn it!

Abhijeet sighed.

No matter how strange Poonam was as a person, she was indispensable as an accountant.

"Looking for me?"

Abhijeet turned around, slightly alarmed.

"Yes of course it's you," he said, his tone half sarcastic and half frustrated.

She only smiled in return, the different shades of brown in her curls grabbing his attention. The hues were subtle, their differences being visible only in the sunlight.

As she stepped closer to him, he felt strangely overpowered by her mere proximity.

"Don't be flustered. I'm just here to help."

"Not unless you happen to know… er, my assistant accountant."

The smile on her face turned to a grin, like she knew exactly what he was talking about.

But she couldn't possibly… could she?

Abhijeet didn't know what to think. This girl seemed to know everything she shouldn't.

"You're going to have to be more specific than that next time," she said.

"I'm sorry, what? Next time?"

"But for now," she continued speaking, haughtily ignoring what he had asked, "Let's just say I know someone who could do a bit of accounts."

He still needed to find Poonam. But this was a start.

"You're talking about…" he tried to confirm if she was talking about herself.

She didn't strike him as someone who would crunch numbers.

"It's one of my interests."

Something about the way she spoke, the way she stood there unapologetically, legs apart and hands on her hips made him feel as though she was hiring him even though it was the other way round.

"Since we are going to be working together," he said, "Maybe you could tell me your name."

"Only if you buy me dinner."

"I'll pick you up around 7?"

But wait, he had no clue as to where she lived. And he didn't know her name let alone have her phone number.

" _I'll_ pick you up," she said as though she had read his mind, "I know the address."

…

…

…

As she picked out a dress to wear for dinner, Tarika dialled a number.

"Hello?"

"My position at Woods and Metals is confirmed," she said.

"You have new information on Abhijeet Srivastava?"

"In plenty."

"How much? Name your price."

"I sell to the highest bidder. Just make sure no one outbids you."

She cut the call without giving the other person a chance to respond.

 **A/N:**

 **I know there would be a lot of questions and opinions about who Tarika is now. I have left a few clues. And things will continue to be revealed in the upcoming chapters.**

 **Till then, I would love to know what you think through reviews.**

 **Also, just to make it clear:**

" **Manoop" is "Poonam" spelled from right to left so that file is poonam's of course.**

 **That's all from me. Your turn to write now.**


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